Cover for an olla or the like



April 24, 1934. M. ALEX COVER FOR AN OLLA OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 31, 1933 3474.54. Pfl. rieti; if,

INVENTOFZ MAX ALEX ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 24, 1934 NITED STATES Water Corporation, Nevada Application January 31,

13 Claims.

This invention has to do with covers for containers or receptacles, such as ollas and the like, and is primarily concerned with the production of a cover which is attractive in appearance, is

automatically adaptable to receptacles and stands of diierent sizes, and is formed so as to permit ample circulation of air about the receptacle.

As is well known to those familiar with the art, one of the most common ways of dispensing 10 bottled water, for example, is to employ an olla or other receptacle mounted on a suitable stand or support, and provided with a valve or tap near its bottom portion. The top of the receptacle is formed with an opening provided with a rubber or other suitable gasket, through which the mouth of an inverted bottle extends, the bottle or container being supported on the receptacle through thev engagement of its neck portion with the gasket.

It is to be understood that the cover contemplated by this invention may find various fields of utility, but since it has several features which are especially accommodated to ollas used in dispensing bottled water, I will use an olla of this character as an example to illustrate the invention.

inasmuch as the ollas must be porous in order to have the proper cooling action on the beverage contained therein, they cannot be glazed,

painted or otherwise treated toimprove their appearance, and it has consequently become la recent practice to provide the olla with a cover or shell to make the stand and its associated parts more attractive.

In addition to the unattractive appearance of the exposed olla, I have discovered that dirt and dust accumulate on the top of the olla, stopping the pores and reducingy the evaporation surface. This dust and dirt also accumulates about the gasket, where it drops into the olla when an empty bottle is replaced, thus contaminating the contents of the olla.

My invention, therefore, besides improving the appearance of a unit of the class described, has, as one object, the provision of a cover which will protect the gasket and the top of the olla against the accumulation of dirt and dust.

This object is accomplished by forming the cover so that it terminates in an opening having a circular edge adapted to engage a container supported by the olla. l

In olla covers as produced heretofore, it has been the practice to support the cover on the olla. In other words, either the cover itself is in direct contact with the olla or it is provided with inwardly projecting members which engage the Ltd., a corporation of 1933, Serial No. 654,446

olla. Projections are also sometimes used to hold the cover in uniformly spaced relation with the olla.

This arrangement obviously reduces the evaporation surface of the olla, furthermore, in view of the contact of the cover or the projections with the olla, the contacting metal is always wet and, consequently, corrodes rapidly, greatly reducing the life of the cover.

It therefor becomes a further object of this inw 65 vention to produce a cover of the class described wherein no part of the cover or its supporting structure engages the olla.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a cover of the class described, which is of universal application on ollas used in a particular field, such as those Used in connection with iive gallon demijohns of bottled water. In this connection, it is a well known fact that the distance from the rim of the basin which supports the olla to the surface of the bottle or container engaged by the edge or rim of the cover or shell varies with different ollas and different containers.

It therefore becomes a still further object of this invention to produce a cover of the class described, wherein the cover yieldingly engages the bottle.

This object may be accomplished in various ways. For example, the cover may be rigidly supported upon the stand or basin, and the edge of the opening which engages the bottle may be in the nature of a ring slidably mounted in the cover and biased upwardly into yieldable engagement with the bottle by spring means. As another alternative, spring means may be employed in connection with the supporting means whereby the cover is supported upon the basin. A combination of these alternatives may be also employed. Y The ollas and their associated stands and basins may also vary in diameter, and it is a further object to produce a cover of the class described which is of standard size, and is provided with spring means to securely hold the same on units of different diameters.

The details in the construction of certain preferred forms of my invention, together with other objects attending its production, will be best un- 105 derstood from the following description of the accompanying drawing, which are chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating a preferred form of cover contemplated 110 by this invention in combination with an olla and bottled water unit;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation, showing one means for obtaining yieldable engagement between the cover opening and the container;

Fig. 3 is a plan section taken in a plane represented by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken in a plane represented by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary inside elevation taken in a plane represented by the line 5 5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken in a plane represented by the line 6-6 in Fig. 3;

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sectional elevations which may be considered as having been taken in the general direction of the plane 6-6 in Fig. 3, but which show modified constructions which may be employed to effect the yieldable engagement between the edge of the container opening and the bottle; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section showing another modification.

More particularly describing the invention as herein illustrated, reference numeral l1 indicates a stand of a conventional type employed in units of this nature. 'Ihe stand carries, what I may term, an olla support l2, which is ordinarily in the form of a porcelain basin.

Mounted on the basin 12 is an olla 13 which has an outlet valve or spigot 14 near its bottom portion and an enlarged mouth 15 in its top, such mouth being provided with a gasket 16 which is engaged by the neck portion of an inverted bottle or demijohn 17.

yReference numeral 18 indicates a shell or cover member having a skirt 19 which, for the sake of appearance, preferably extends down below the lower edge of the basin 12 and has a notch 19 formed therein to receive the spigot. Reference numeral 20 indicates a top which is mounted on the skirt and has an opening 21 through which Vthe neck of the bottle 17 extends. The cover 18, in this form of my invention, is supported by brackets 22 and 22 mounted in the bottom of the upper edge of the basin 12. (See Fig. 3).

In this form of my invention, the yieldable engagement between the bottle and the cover is effected by providing in the opening 21 a ring 23 which is slidably mounted in the opening and has an inwardly turned flange 25 at its lower edge. A plurality of tension springs 26 are secured at their respective ends, by suitable eyelets or otherwise, to the member 20 and the flange 25.

It will thus be seen that the springs 26 permit the use of the same style and size of cover in connection with ollas of different heights or with bottles having differently tapered necks. The broken line position shown in Fig. 1 illustrates how the ring will move downwardly against the yieldable action of the springs when the cover is used with an olla shorter than that shown.

This same action may be obtained in connection with a cover having a rigid upper edge by using, instead of the rigid brackets 22 and 22', svuppgrting means of the type shown in Fig. 7 or 1&2

In Fig. 7, I show a bracket member 30, which is slotted as indicated at 31 to receive a screw or rivet 32 mounted in the skirt 19a. The undersurface of this bracket engages the edge of the basin, and the whole shell is yieldably held against downward movement by means of a tension spring 33 which is secured to and extends below the bracket having its lower end secured to the shell as indicated at 34.

In Fig. 8, I show a construction embodying a bracket member slotted as indicated at 31' to receive a rivet 32' mounted in the shell 19h. This bracket also engages the edge of the basin, and the shell is yieldably held against downward movement or is yieldably pressed upwardly, as the case may be, relative to the fixed elements, such as the basin, the olla, and the bottle, by means of a compresion spring 33 interposed between the bracket 30 and another short bracket 34 positioned above the first mentioned bracket.

Although the olla cover may be made in various shapes, I consider it preferable, both from the standpoint of appearance and to render the same adapted for use in connection with stands and basins of different diameters, to shape the shell so that, in section, it comprises two segments, one horse shoe shaped, and the other a circle arc closing the horse shoe. These segments are indicated at 36 and 37, respectively, in which it will be observed that the cover is not concentric with or spaced uniformly away from the olla stand, but is formed so that the back thereof extends farther away from the olla than the front, this permitting the use of the same cover on different sizes of stands without distortion of the front of the cover.

In order that the cover will t tightly on stands or basins of different diameters, I provide a spring member 38 which, in its preferred form, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, comprises a bowed piece of spring steel rigidly secured at one end to the interior of the shell below the rear supporting bracket 22, as indicated at 39. The other end of the member 38 is held in sliding engagement with the shell by means of rivets 40 which extend through slots 41.

As an alternative for obtaining this last mentioned result, I may replace the supporting member 22 with a supporting bracket 42, (Fig. 9), which is secured to the interior of the shell 19o, as indicated at 43. This supporting bracket is made of spring metal, and is adapted to spring outwardly when the shell is placed over a basin of larger diameter. It also serves to hold the cover tightly on the stand.

In any event, it will be observed that there is no part of the cover or its supporting structure which contacts the olla. Furthermore, there are no elements in the skirt which engage the olla to hold the cover in spaced relation with the olla.

Fig. 9 also illustrates another manner of obtaining the yieldable engagement between the top of the shell and the bottle. This is accomplished by using a spring ring, for example, a split crimped spring steel ring 44, which rests on the edge of the basin, and is engaged by the brackets. The shell is provided with apertures 43 and 49 135 which permit the circulation of air about the olla.

It is to be understood that, while I have herein described and illustrated certain preferred forms of my invention, and have described the invention in connection with an olla, the invention is 14() not limited to the specific structure or the particular use described above, but includes within its scope whatever changes or uses fairly come within the spirit of the appended claims, for example, the cover may be used with a glass receptacle provided with a paper or fabric cover adapted to be moistened to give the desired cooling effect.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination: a water receptacle; an in- 150 verted container supported on the receptacle; and a cover for said receptacle, sad cover being formed and supported independently of said receptacle and having an upper edge yieldingly engaging said container.

2. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted bottle supported on said receptacle; and a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an upper edge forming a circular opening to receive the bottle, said shell being formed and supported independently of said receptacle and said upper edge yieldingly engaging said bottle.

3. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an opening adapted to receive a neck portion on said container; a ring slidably mounted in said opening with its upper edge engaging said container; and yieldable means supporting said ring in said opening.

4. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an opening adapted to receive a neck portion on said container; a ring slidably mounted in said opening with its upper edge engaging said container; and a plurality of tension springs interposed between said ring and the top of said shell for supporting said ring in said opening.

5. In combination: a liquid receptacle; a support for said receptacle an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening to receive and engage said container; and yieldable means engaging said receptacle support and supporting said shell.

6. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening to receive and engage said container; and yieldable means comprising a support, and tension spring means interposed between said support and said shell or supporting said shell.

7. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening to receive and engage said container; and yieldable means supporting said shell, said last mentioned means comprising a support, a bracket slidably mounted in said shellY and engaging said support, another bracket rigidly mounted in said shell above said last mentioned bracket, and a compression spring interposed between said brackets.

8. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening to receive and engage said container; and means for supporting said shell comprising a support, and compression spring means interposed between said support and said shell.

9. In combination: a liquid receptacle; an inverted container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening to receive and engage said container; and yieldable means for supporting said shell, said last mentioned means comprising a support, a bracket slidably mounted in said shell and engaging said support; a tension spring secured to said bracket and eX- tending downwardly therebelow; and means securing the lower end of said tension spring to said shell.

10. In combination: a stand; a receptacle support in said stand; a liquid receptacle on said support; an inverted liquid container supported on said receptacle; a shell covering said receptacle and terminating in an edge forming a circular opening adapted to receive and yieldingly engage said container; supporting means in said shell engaging said support; and yieldable means in said shell engaging said support for yieldably holding said shell against lateral movement.

11. In combination: a stand; a receptacle support in said stand; a liquid receptacle on said support; an inverted liquid container supported by said receptacle; a cover for said receptacle terminating in a circular edge engaging said container; supporting means mounted in said shell and engaging said support, said shell being radially spaced away from said support; and yieldable means interposed between an inner vertical surface in said shell and an outer vertical surface of said support.

12. In combination: a stand; a receptacle support in said stand; a liquid receptacle on said support; an inverted liquid container supported by said receptacle; a cover for said receptacle terminating in a circular edge engaging said container; supporting means mounted in said shell and engaging said support, said shell being radially spaced away from said support; and yieldable means interposed between an inner vertical surface in said shell and an outer vertical surface of said support, said last mentioned means comprising a spring plate rigidly secured to said shell at one end and slidably engaging said shell at its other end.

13. An olla cover, or the like, comprising a shell having a cross-sectional shape comprising: a horse shoe shaped rear segment closed by a substantially circular arc front segment; a cover for said shell having an opening therein; support ing means mounted in said shell near its lower edge; and an inwardly biased spring member mounted on the interior of said shell near the lower edge thereof.

MAX ALEX. 

